According to A Bola (via SportWitness), Chelsea are the best positioned Premier League club to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte this summer.
The London heavyweights have had a dismal 2022/23 campaign and they could be plenty of changes in the squad during the next transfer window. A defensive midfielder could be one of the targets and A Bola claim that Chelsea are leading the hunt to sign Ugarte ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea are prepared to pay the £52 million release clause in his contract and they are willing to include another £1.7 million in bonuses. Sporting also seem willing to negotiate with Chelsea with the possibility of signing one of their players that could be loaned out from Stamford Bridge next season.
Likely deal
Liverpool were initially mentioned as the front-runners to land Ugarte but their priority has shifted towards Alexis Mac Allister.
The Merseyside outfit need more creativity from central midfield next season. Mac Allister would be an ideal acquisition for manager Jurgen Klopp and a transfer could happen soon.
Amidst this, Chelsea appear to be moving quickly to finalise the transfer of Ugarte. The Uruguayan is a superb defensive midfielder and could be a perfect partner for Enzo Fernandez.
Fernandez’s creativity has been restricted by N’Golo Kante’s injury woes this year and the World Cup winner could benefit from having a reliable midfielder to partner him next season.
Ugarte has already made a huge impression during his time at Sporting. This season, he has completed 92% of his passes. He has won 3.9 tackles and 6.9 ground duels per league outing.
The South American star has the credentials to become a huge hit in the Premier League. He may lack the aerial presence but tends to compensate for it with his excellent work rate.
If Chelsea can sign him ahead of Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, it would represent a huge summer coup for them.
